Mental Health

Your Self London consultant dermatologist may recommend that you see Dr Chatburn for an appointment as part of your medical or cosmetic dermatology assessment or to support your ongoing treatment. You can also book a clinical psychology consultation via GP referral or with her directly if you would like some space to explore the psychological and social burden of living with a skin condition, and to discuss what a psychological treatment might involve.

Dr Chatburn is able to help you with a wide range of mental health and wellbeing issues that may be related to having a skin condition or concern, which may include:

• body image problems
• body dysmorphic disorder and “acne dysmorphia”
• low self-esteem
• low mood
• anxiety problems
• relationship difficulties
• stress
• living with a visible difference
• adjusting to a newly-diagnosed skin condition
• body-focussed repetitive behaviours such as skin-picking (excoriation), hair-pulling (trichotillomania) and nail-biting.
• anxiety about undergoing medical procedures
• psychological approaches to itch management
• problems connected to social media usage
• pre-cosmetic dermatology psychological assessment

Dr Chatburn offers psychological assessment and consultation, as well as therapy packages. Dr Chatburn’s primary therapeutic modality is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), which she will personalise based on your unique needs and goals. She also draws on “third-wave” CBT approaches, which include ideas from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Compassion Focused Therapy.

CBT sessions typically occur fortnightly and last for up to 50 minutes. Treatment usually consists of 5 to 10 sessions, but the number of recommended sessions will be advised after the initial assessment. Dr Chatburn is available for both in-clinic and virtual appointments.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a type of psychological therapy. It is based on the central idea that our thoughts, our feelings, what we do, and how our bodies feel, are all connected, and that changing one of these can alter all the others.

When we are distressed, we often fall into patterns of thinking and responding which can seem like they help in the moment, but in the longer term they can actually keep the problem going. CBT works by helping us to notice when we fall into these traps and to find ways of responding that support us to feel better.

Following a comprehensive assessment, your therapist will work with you to develop a shared understanding of how your problem developed and what may be keeping it going (this is also called a psychological “formulation”). This formulation will then guide the shape of the treatment, which will also be informed by identifying some specific goals that you want to work towards.

CBT is sometimes called a “talking therapy” but more accurately it should be described as a “doing therapy”. It is an active, time-limited, structured approach (Beck, 1979) where you work collaboratively with your therapist to make changes that may ultimately lead to living a richer, more meaningful life.

CBT is an evidence-based psychological approach, which means that there are scientific studies that have demonstrated its effectiveness for many different people and problems. We know that CBT works well for a range of mental health and body image problems as well as some physical health conditions (you can read more about its evidence base ).

Individual CBT has been tested in a variety of dermatology settings and a recent scientific systematic literature review confirmed that CBT-based psychological interventions are beneficial to people with skin conditions (Lavda, Webb, and Thompson 2012).

To learn more about what CBT involves, including a brief animated video explainer, visit the UK professional body for CBT therapists, the BABCP here.